Family medical history plays an important role in your overall health, as well as in the accurate diagnosis of certain heart rhythm abnormalities and thoracic aortic syndromes. The Inherited Cardiovascular Disease Center at Outpatient Services offers genetic screening and counseling services to help you understand your family heart history and your risks for inherited heart diseased.

Patients are typically referred for screening when there are suspected or confirmed family-dominant heart conditions, such as:

A family history of early coronary heart disease​ (CHD) is a risk factor for developing CHD, specifically if a father or brother is diagnosed before age 55, or a mother or sister is diagnosed before age 65.

Although older age and a family history of early heart disease are risk factors, it doesn't matter that you'll develop CHD if you have one or both. Controlling other risk factors often can lessen genetic influences and help prevent CHD, even in older adults.

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Physicians are members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Health Care System's subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and are neither employees nor agents of those medical centers, The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano or Baylor Health Care System.